# Trucking Dispatch Software for Short-Haul Fleets Source: https://tread.ai/trucking-dispatch-software/ Last updated: 2026-10-09 Trucking dispatch software assigns trucks and drivers to loads, sends each driver the job, and tracks the load until it is delivered. Tread does this for short-haul bulk hauling and point-to-point full truckload. Each approved load then becomes a customer invoice and a driver or sub-hauler settlement. ## Key takeaways - Dispatch software assigns trucks, sends the job to the driver, and tracks the load. - Tread puts your own trucks, owner-operators, and sub-haulers on one board. - Tickets, invoices, and settlements come from the same load record. - Tread fits short-haul bulk and point-to-point full truckload. It does not do LTL. ## What does trucking dispatch software do? - Assign a truck and driver to each load from one board. - Send the job to the driver’s phone, by app or by text. - Track each truck on a live map, with arrival and departure times. - Collect the ticket, bill of lading, or proof of delivery with the load. - Handle changes during the day without a round of phone calls. - Hand the finished load to billing and driver pay. Dispatch-only tools stop at the third step. A full system keeps the load record going until the invoice and the settlement are done. That is the gap where loads get keyed twice and tickets go missing. Comparing products? See the [best trucking dispatch software](https://tread.ai/blog/best-trucking-dispatch-software/) guide and [what a TMS for trucking does](https://tread.ai/what-is-a-tms-for-trucking/). ## Who is Tread’s dispatch software built for? | Type of work | Is Tread a fit? | | --- | --- | | Short-haul bulk and construction materials: aggregates, dirt, asphalt, sand | Best fit. This is the work Tread is built around. | | Point-to-point full truckload: one pickup, one drop-off, a flat rate per load | Good fit. Save a repeat haul as a project and create each day’s orders from it. | | Producers and contractors who manage the trucking behind their work | Good fit. Customers on Tread can place orders, approve tickets, and track deliveries from their own Tread account. | | Grain and fertilizer hauling | Supported. Most customers haul aggregates and construction materials. | | Not a fit: LTL freight, or routes with more than one drop-off | Not ideal. Tread does not do LTL, and a job has one pickup and one drop-off. | | Not a fit: long-haul freight from load boards | Not ideal. Tread is not a load board. Look at a freight carrier TMS. | | Not a fit: one- or two-truck carriers who want to sign up online today | Not ideal. Tread starts with a demo, and our team sets up your account. | Run dump trucks? See [dump truck dispatch software](https://tread.ai/dump-truck-dispatch-software/). One pickup and one drop-off at a flat rate? See [dispatch for truckload carriers](https://tread.ai/industries/truckload-carriers/). ## How does a load move through Tread? ### Set the job up once Save a repeat haul as a project and create each day’s orders from it. Rate cards, fuel surcharge schedules, and add-ons set pricing for each project. ### Put trucks on the board Drag and drop, click to assign, or bulk assign trucks on one board, for your own drivers, owner-operators, and sub-haulers. ### Send the job to the driver Drivers get the job in the Tread app. Drivers can get a job request by text and reply YES or NO. No app is needed for that step. ### Follow every load Live map with geofenced arrival and departure. Truck locations from 50+ telematics providers, including Motive, Samsara, and Geotab, through Catena Telematics. ### Capture the ticket with the load AI reads printed and handwritten scale and material tickets from a photo and returns the ticket number, date, quantity, unit, material, and truck. AI checks each ticket’s quantity, date, and ticket number against the job, and flags the ones that need a look. ### Bill and settle from the same record Approved tickets and hours become driver and vendor settlements, with overtime and prevailing-wage rules applied, and a settlement PDF you can email. Tread syncs with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop. ## Can you dispatch trucks you don’t own? ### Software only Tread is software only. We don’t broker trucks, we don’t own trucks, and we don’t share your trucking relationships. Tread never competes with you for loads or trucks. ### Free accounts for sub-haulers Sub-haulers you work with join Tread for free. ### No GPS hardware Track hired and sub-hauler trucks from the driver’s phone. No GPS hardware to install. ### Paperwork on file Set your own compliance document types, such as an insurance certificate, W-9, or DOT number. Mark which are required for vendors, drivers, or trucks, add expiration dates, and get warned when one is missing or expired. ### What Tread data shows - About 8 in 10: Loads on Tread hauled by trucks the dispatching company does not own. Owner-operators haul about half of all loads, and other carriers haul the rest of the outside loads. - 88%: Of companies on Tread dispatch both their own trucks and hired trucks. More than half rely on hired trucks for most loads. - 63%: Of arrivals on Tread are stamped automatically by geofence. - The median truck on Tread runs 4 loads per working day, and the busiest 10% run 8 or more. All customers on Tread, July to October 2026. Demo and test accounts excluded. ### What a back-office lead told us Every load got looked up three times. Driver pay lived in one system, the customer rate in another, and dispatch in a third. ## What should you ask a dispatch software vendor? - Show me one of my loads from order to invoice, with my own pickup and drop-off. - How do drivers who won’t install an app get the job and send the ticket? - Can owner-operators and sub-haulers sit on the same board as my trucks? - Does the system read tickets, or does someone type them in? - Which accounting system do you sync with, and what moves each way? - What happens when a driver loses signal? - What do you not do? Ask for the list in writing. ## What does Tread not do? - Tread is not a load board. It runs the loads you already have. - Tread does not do LTL. A job has one pickup and one drop-off. - Tread does not replace your ELD. Connect your ELD or telematics provider through Catena. - Tread does not track maintenance or DVIRs. - Tread does not move money. You pay your haulers directly. - Tread does not provide scales. It takes tickets from your scale system. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is trucking dispatch software? Trucking dispatch software assigns trucks and drivers to loads, sends drivers the job, and tracks each load until it is delivered. Tread also covers the steps around dispatch: tickets, settlements, and billing into QuickBooks. ### What is the difference between dispatch software and a TMS? Dispatch software runs the day: trucks, drivers, and loads. A TMS usually adds orders, rates, documents, invoices, and driver pay. Tread covers dispatch through the invoice and the settlement. ### Can drivers get loads without the app? Yes. Drivers can get a job request by text and reply YES or NO. No app is needed for that step. Drivers can text in ticket photos too. ### Can I dispatch owner-operators and sub-haulers? Yes. Your own drivers, owner-operators, and sub-haulers sit on one board. Sub-haulers you work with join Tread for free. ### Does Tread work for full truckload? Yes, for point-to-point work. Tread dispatches full-truckload, point-to-point hauling: one pickup, one drop-off, and a flat rate per load. Tread does not do LTL. ### Do I keep my ELD? Yes. Tread does not replace it. Connect your ELD or telematics provider through Catena. The Tread driver app adds live location on the phones drivers already carry. ### Does Tread work with QuickBooks? Yes. Tread syncs with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop, and exports approved settlements as QuickBooks invoices and bills. Setup is per company, so ask your rep. ### Does Tread find loads for me? No. Tread is not a load board. It runs dispatch, tickets, and billing for the work you already have. ### How do I get started? Book a demo. Tread’s team loads your data and trains your people before go-live. ## Sources 1. eCFR, 49 CFR Part 395, Subpart B: Electronic Logging Devices. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-395/subpart-B 2. Federal Highway Administration, e-Ticketing. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc_6/eticketing.cfm 3. NIST Handbook 44, Specifications and Tolerances for Weighing and Measuring Devices. https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/nist-handbook-44-current-edition [Book a demo](https://tread.ai/demo/).